It
looks like just another hill in the Sussex countryside, but the hill to
the right at Wartling in East Sussex, is manmade. The early warning radar
station was used to thwart Hitler's
plans.

POLITICS
Vs POLICIES

Local MP
Greg Barker pledged to fight to protect the Pevensey
Levels after listening to local residents from Wartling and the surrounding area who are concerned about new, potentially
damaging developments on the marsh.

In a meeting at the Reid Hall in Boreham Street on Friday, Greg met landowners, residents and members of the local Parish
Councils to hear their serious concerns over the land use on the Pevensey Levels, a site of Special Scientific Interest.

Greg explained that he will work with Natural
England, the Environment Agency and the Department for the Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs to do all he can to ensure that the marshland, also an internationally recognised ‘Ramsar’ site,
will not be damaged, or the flora and fauna that live there put at risk.

Speaking from Pevensey, Greg said: “The Pevensey Levels are a unique and special environment. We are their custodians for the
next generation and I will fight shoulder to shoulder with local people to protect them from inappropriate building,
planting and development.”

The
above article on Mr Barker's website, appears to confirm that this
prosecution was politically, and judging by the Youtube on Planning
Outlaws, racially motivated. We wonder then if Greg Barker should have
become involved and why the Police are not taking any action against what
seems to us to be incitement to racial hatred? Some of the comments that
are recorded as potential evidence, are rather hard to explain any other
way. What a shame that Gregory is not so opinionated when it comes to
protecting the historic built environment and the rights of farmers to
farm their land. The Levels at Pevensey were of course home to RAF
Pevensey and RAF
Wartling, meaning that what has subsequently been classified as a site
of scientific interest, is more likely to have come about from man's
intervention in World War Two. Natural England seem to want to ignore our
fight against one of the most famous dictators of all time: Adolf
Hitler.

PEVENSEY
LEVELS - UNIT 223

The term ‘Pevensey Levels’ refers to the low-lying area between Eastbourne and Bexhill in East Sussex. It is a wetland of national and international conservation importance and 37 per cent of the National Character Area (NCA) is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and Ramsar site. The Levels are predominantly rural and mostly grazed pasture, and consist of extensive drainage networks and flood plain. The NCA also includes the urban centre of Eastbourne which is a busy seaside town with a population of nearly 100,0004 and up to 5 million visitors each year. A coastline of shingle beach stretches along the length of the area, punctuated by settlements, historic military buildings and sea defence structures.

The area is framed by the steep scarp of the South Downs in the west and the higher ground of the High Weald in the north, with views of the
English Channel to the south. Much of the Pevensey Levels was under water until the medieval period and the whole area is low lying and vulnerable to the effects of climate change, particularly coastal flooding. Sea defences consist mainly of open beach managed by periodic shingle replenishments, maintenance of groynes, recycling of material around the beach and re-profiling during and after storms. In the long term, these measures may need reviewing as sea levels rise. Managing the environmentally important Pevensey Levels is dependent on careful and continuous water management through a system
of sluices and pumps.

Recently,
the pumping arrangements have failed leading to flooding. This has not
been adequately addressed and the population of Lapwings is not as stated
when the area was classified in 1990. The whole Unit should therefore be
re-assessed as a matter of some urgency.

LAND
OWNERSHIP & WEALDEN DISTRICT COUNCIL

Wealden
has a terrible reputation when it comes to discrimination. The pattern
emerging seems to be that they target gypsies who own land and foreigners.
The Wealden Action Group was formed in the 1990s to keep an eye open for
planning favors, which of course means unfavorable treatment for others.
Pevensey Levels is an area where we suspect foul play.

The
tactics involve all the agencies working together to apply pressure to the
unlucky recipient. It matters not one bit if such use of authority is
lawful, nor if it is waste of the taxpayers money.

NCA Profile:124 Pevensey Levels (NE478)

The
levels at Pevensey are criss-crossed with access tracks, bunkers and other
concrete and brick buildings, many of which are sub-surface.

This
area had been designated of scientific interest, with little regard to the
industrial archaeology remaining from Word War Two and the Cold War that
followed. RAF Wartling was a significant subterranean installation to
provide early warning of bombing raids and the like.

Staff member responsible for SSSI unit: Cath Jackson

Unit ID: 1030523

Unit area: 130 hectares

Main habitat: Fen, marsh and swamp - lowland

Condition: Unfavourable recovering

Latest assessment date: 17 September 2012

Condition assessment comment: Condition for Pevensey Levels is accorded on a whole-site basis. The condition is unfavourable recovering because: a significant area of the site is in agri-environment scheme therefore appropriate management is in place; water levels will be addressed through implementation of the Water Level Management Plan; alien species present will be addressed through invasive weed strategy.

Solicitors
for Natural England, invisible vultures that prey on unsuspecting farmers,
using all manner or ruses to obtain land charges - in the hope that
Natural England might bankrupt the unwary and obtain their lands.

Status: Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) notified under Section 28 of the
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Part of this site has been designated a National
Nature Reserve under Section 16 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside
Act 1949.

This site is listed in ‘A Nature Conservation Review’ and part is a National Nature
Reserve.

Reasons for Notification:

Pevensey Levels is a large area of low-lying grazing meadows intersected by a complex
system of ditches which show a wide variety of form and species composition and
support important communities of wetland flora and fauna. The site supports one
nationally rare and several nationally scarce aquatic plants and many nationally rate
invertebrates. Ornithologically, the site is of national importance as the number of
wintering lapwings has regularly exceeded 1% of the total British population in recent
years.

Geologically, the Levels are located where impervious Weald Clay reaching the coast
has been overlain by superficial alluvial deposits. In places, however, the Weald Clay
itself forms out-crops, as at Hooe Eye, and Tunbridge Wells Sands reach the surface
occasionally, as on part of Horse Level. Once an area of intertidal mud flats, the
Levels have developed in turn to salt marsh and fresh water marsh. This process has
been aided by the deposition of shingle beach deposits, by the process of longshore
drift, along the present coastline. This shingle ridge now protects the Levels from sea
water inundation, since most of the site lies below the level of highest tide. Past
intersection of the marshes by a series of ditches has created the present-day area of
rich grazing meadows.

The ditch system facilitates removal of surface water to enable successful stock
grazing, at the same time acting as a network of ‘wet fences’ and as a source of stock
drinking water. Maintenance of the ditches is necessary to continue efficient execution
of these functions and also creates a wide variety of ditch types from intensively or
recently dredged ditches to neglected ones. In this way a wide variety of floral
conditions prevail and the specific requirements of certain invertebrates are always
catered for. Following the dredging of a clogged ditch a distinct successional pattern
occurs. First, floating and submerged aquatic plants such as duckweeds Lemna sp,
pondweeds Potamogeton sp, or water fern Azolla sp, colonize.

These are followed by
larger, floating or emergent plants such as frog-bit Hydrocharis morsus-ranae,
bur reed Sparganium erectum and arrow-head Sagittaria sagittifolia. Finally, common reed
Phragmites australis becomes dominant at the expense of most other species. If left
undredged the ditches may dry up and become scrubbed over with drastic effects on
plant and animal diversity.

The most species-rich ditches show a varied structure and a good mixture of both
open water and emergent species. The broad-leaved pondweed Potamogeton natans
and frog-bit are abundant, whilst the nationally rare* sharp-leaved pondweed
Potamogeton acutifolius (RDB:** Vulnerable) is of particular importance. Other open
water species include ivy-duckweed Lemna trisulca and the nationally scarce
+ water-soldier Stratiotes aloides and flat-stalked pondweed Potamogeton friesii. Numerous
other pondweeds are found here including shining pondweed Potamogeton lucens,
curled pondweed P. crispus and blunt-leaved pondweed P. obtusifolius. Emergents of
interest include the nationally scarce greater water-parsnip Sium latifolium
and river water-dropwort Oenanthe fluviatilis . These very species-rich ditches are largely
confined to gravity-drained areas within the site.

The main arterial channels, which carry drainage water from the Levels to the sea, are
generally poor in vegetation, both in number of species and cover. Submerged and
floating species such as common duckweed Lemna minor and greater duckweed Lemna polyrhiza
predominate with the nationally scarce spineless hornwort Ceratophyllum submersum
and the nationally scarce pondweed Potamogeton trichoides also present. Ditches surrounding and within arable areas support relatively
few open-water species and tend to be characterised by the presence of water plantain
Alisma plantago-aquatica and bur-reed. They are often fringed with hard rush
Juncus inflexus and jointed rush J. articulatus.

Woodland dividing the modern main Pevensey to Middle Bridge Road from the old
road parallel to it is dominated by mature crack willow Salix fragilis
with hawthorn Crataegus monogyna and elder Sambucus nigra scrub. Closed canopies have a sparse
ground cover of ground ivy Glechoma hederacea and nettle Urtica dioica. This area is
of importance for moths.

An area of shingle and intertidal muds and sands is included within the site. Although
the shingle is largely bereft of vegetation, yellow horned-poppy Glaucium flavum, sea
campion Silene maritima and the nationally scarce sea-kale Crambe maritima
do occur; there is also a record for pyramidal orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis.

The site supports outstanding invertebrate populations and is a top national site for
Molluscs and aquatic Coleoptera. Indeed, the site is perhaps the best in Britain for
freshwater Mollusc fauna. A ramshorn snail Segmentina nitida (RDB: Endangered), is
found in well-oxygenated drains with lush vegetation. Particularly widespread and
abundant on this site is an aquatic snail Valvata macrostoma (RDB: Vulnerable).

Of
the many species of water beetle recorded at the site, the most interesting are confined
to the ditches in areas of permanent pasture. Of particular interest is Britain’s largest
water beetle, the great silver water beetle Hydrophilus piceus (RDB: Rare) which is
found only on grazed levels in the southern part of Britain. Also of importance is
Bagous puncticollis (RDB: Endangered), found on Horse Eye Level and several
nationally rare water beetles such as the small reddish-brown Hydrovatus clypealis
(RDB: Rare) confined to the coast of southern England.

Over fifteen species of dragonfly (Odonata) have been recorded including the
nationally scarce species, hairy dragonfly Brachytron pratense and variable damselfly
Coenagrion pulchellum . Survey has also revealed Britain’s only known location of
Placobdella costata (provisional RDB), a large leech which feeds on the blood of
vertebrates. One of Britain’s largest spiders Dolomedes plantarius
(RDB: Endangered) has also been recorded.

The site is of national importance for its wintering lapwing Vanellus vanellus
which exceed 1% of the total British population. The numbers of snipe Gallinago gallinago
may also be of national importance but exact data relating to the country’s wintering
population is as yet unavailable. Wintering golden plover Pluvialis apricaria
are of local significance and in some years are of national importance. Sedge warblers
Acrocephalus schoenobaenus and reed warblers Acrocephalus scirpaceus
which nest in scrub close to water and reeds in the ditches respectively, breed in numbers of local
significance. The site also supports about one fifth of the breeding yellow wagtails
Motacilla flava in Sussex.

SSSI
OUT OF DATE = CRIMINAL NEGLIGENCE

The
above document has not been updated with fresh information as to migration
and nesting, given the climate change from global warming in the
intervening 23 years since 1990. It is unclear if the 1977 notification
was reassessed in 1990 - with the benefit of proper collated figures as to
actual levels of populations, or, whether the notification was simply
rubber stamped for convenience.

Either
way, where prosecutions are being based on out of date statistics and use,
those prosecutions are poorly found and may well be an abuse of process.

SPECIES
DUE FOR REVIEW:

Fen
Raft Spider

Lapwings

Reed
Warbler

Sedge
Warbler

Yellow
Wagtails

Mr
Poul Christensen CBE - Chair - Date
appointed: December 2006

Date
appointed as Chair: 3 December 2009 - Appointed
until: 31 December 2013

Poul
was appointed Chair of Natural England on 3 December 2009. He was Deputy
Chair of Natural England from 2006 and served as Acting Chair following
the death of Sir Martin Doughty in March 2009.

He
is a director of a successful family dairy farming business at Kingston
Hill Farm, in Oxfordshire. He has a long track record of integrating
conservation with the demands of modern farming.

Throughout
his career Poul has taken a prominent role leading the farming sector
through changing and challenging times. He is the joint founder of the
Tenant Farmers’ Association, established in 1981 to provide a voice for
tenant farmers. He was previously Chairman of Milk Marque in the late
1990s, steering the dairy sector through a period of significant change,
Chair of the Rural Development Service until 2006, overseeing the launch
of modern Environmental Stewardship schemes, and a member of the Defra
Management Board before taking up the appointment of Chair at Natural
England.

He
is currently a Director of Agricultural Central Trading Limited, a farmer
supply cooperative and is a Board member of the UK’s Joint Nature
Conservation Committee. Poul was elected as President Elect of the
National Federation Of Young Farmers' Clubs, in April 2012, and in the
same month was advanced as a Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Societies (FRAgS).
He received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the
Queen's Birthday Honours List in 1991 for services to agriculture and the
commercial development of the Agricultural Development Advisory Service (ADAS).

Solicitors
for Natural England brought farming to a halt on Pevensey Levels, then
sent a letter claiming that they had no intention of stopping farming.
What utter rubbish. They say one thing and do another. Hypocrisy is
ingrained in most local authorities so much that they almost believe their
own line of twaddle.

Professor
David Hill - Deputy Chair

Appointed:
2 May 2006 - Until: 31 March 2014

David
was appointed Deputy Chair in February 2011 and has been a member of
Natural England’s Board since 2 May 2006.

David
has significant experience in consultancy, nature conservation and company
business strategy. He runs an ecological consultancy company, is Chairman
of The Environment Bank Ltd and was previously Chief Scientific Adviser to
RPS Group plc. Over the past three years he has been actively involved in
promoting environmental markets to provide new and innovative ways of
mitigating for impacts on ecosystem services arising from development,
industry and corporate businesses.

David
is a Fellow and past President of the Institute of Ecology and
Environmental Management. He has published extensively on ecological
issues over the past 25 years. David is a member of the Government’s
Ecosystem Markets Taskforce. David
is a member of the RSPB, BTO, Norfolk Wildlife Trust and a life member of
the National Trust.

Pevensey
marsh is littered with WWII buildings, most of which are underground

Mr
William Cockbain

Appointed:
1 October 2011 - Until: 30 September 2014

Responsibilities
from 1 October 2011 include: land management, agriculture and the uplands,
Lake District, Peak District and North York Moors National Parks.

William
Cockbain farms a large hill farm in the Lake District as part of a family
partnership. He was NFU National Uplands spokesman from 2004 until March
2012 when he stood down after 8 years.

In
2006 he was appointed as Defra’s North West Sustainable Food and Farming
Champion, a position held until the end of March 2011. He chairs the new
Rural and Farming Networks, for Cumbria, North and East Lancashire, and
was made an Associate of the Royal Agricultural Societies for England,
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2008 for services to hill farming.

Ms
Catherine Graham-Harrison OBE

Appointed:
1 January 2009 - Until: 31 December 2014

Responsibilities
from 30 September 2011 include: Protected Landscapes, with special
responsibility for the South Downs and New Forest National Parks, and
transport and development. Member of the Audit and Risk Committee until 30
September 2011.

Until
2011, Catherine worked as a Management Consultant, mainly in the not
for profit sector, focusing on philanthropy; strategic planning;
governance and organisational development.

Prior
to that, she was a Vice President of Citibank and then Chief Executive of
the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. She has held a large number of non executive
positions over the past 20 years including being on the board of the Heritage
Lottery Fund and a trustee of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Catherine
has been Chair of the National Forest Company since April 2011 and was
appointed Chair of the National Trust Architecture Panel with
effect from 1 February 2011.

Natural
England told this farmer that he could build a bridge from one side of his
pond to another, then made him lower it twice - without specifying a
height of build. Finally, after pushing the issue, Sue Beale took advice
from solicitors and then (only then) said 10cm. Why didn't Natural England
say this in the beginning, rather than use this point as an excuse to
prosecute the farmer. We say the reason is obvious, they set the farmer up
for a fall. Is that then a malicious prosecution?

Dr
Joe Horwood

Appointed: 1
October 2009 - Until: 30 September 2015

Responsibilities
include: Lead Board member for marine and the Broads Authority. Member of
the Audit and Risk Committee (until 30 September 2011), Natural
England Science Advisory Committee, Marine Protected Areas sub-group on
the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Natural England,
Environment Agency and Forestry Commission Joint Sub-group (ceased July
2012).

Joe
Horwood has a background in mathematics and zoology applied in marine
ecology and resource management. Former Chief Science Advisor at the
Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS), but
retaining a role as Non-Executive Director and Chair of CEFAS’ Science
Advisory Committee. He has been a member of the Board of the International
Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) since 1998 and was President of
ICES from 2006 to 2009. He was also on the Board of the Marine Biological
Association from 1998 to 2001.

He
has served on the science advisory committees of the International Whaling
Commission, ICES and the EC, and on the UK’s Marine Science
Co-ordination Committee. He is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society,
and of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and a member of
the British Ecological Society, the Challenger Society and the Suffolk
Wildlife Trust. He has published on a variety of marine issues including
whales, fisheries and marine protected areas.

Solicitors
for Natural England forced farming to come to a halt, where they insisted
that this farmer remove his deer proof barrier. Not only that, but they
then refused to indemnify the farmer - knowing only too well that his herd
of deer would then be free to escape, and that is exactly what happened.
We say that such abuses of a position of trust does Natural England no
favours in the long term. Their short term objective to cause the farmer
huge losses, so that farming became untenable, is nothing short of
bullying and discriminatory practices.

Mr
Doug Hulyer

Appointed:
2 May 2006 (reappointed 1 June 2011) - Until: 31 May 2014

Responsibilities
include: Exmoor and Dartmoor National Parks, access and engagement, management
for biodiversity, and climate change adaptation. Member of the Natural
England, Environment Agency and Forestry Commission joint sub-group.

Doug
is an independent advisor for the heritage and natural environment sector.
He was previously the Director of Conservation, Programmes and
Developments for the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, and prior to moving to
Slimbridge in 1984, one of the first Education Officers in the Wildlife
Trust network.

Doug
is a committed environmentalist, environmental educator and
conservationist with over 30 year’s professional experience. He is a
Trustee of the National Heritage Memorial Fund/Heritage Lottery Fund, a
member of HLF’s South West Committee, and Chair of the NHMF Audit
Committee.

Doug
is currently Vice-President of the Surrey Wildlife Trust, a member of the
Learning & Visitor Experience Panel of the National Trust, and a
Fellow of the Society of Biology. He is a Trustee of Earth
Trust, Oxfordshire (HLS received) and Woodchester Mansion Trust (within
SSSI).

He
also holds memberships in Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, English
Heritage, Wildfowl & Wetland Trust, The National Trust, Freshwater
Biological Association, and the Institute of Directors, The Chartered
Institute of Water and Environmental Management, Royal Horticultural
Society, IUCN – Commission on Education and Communication and the
National Trust.

In
June 2008, Doug ceased his position as Chairman of the Wetland Vision
project. Doug was a Council Member for English Nature between
2002-2006, before taking up the appointment of Board Member for Natural
England.

And
yet more farm animals that no longer have a farm to stay on. Natural
England have done all within their power to bring about a halt to farming
on the Pevensey Levels. It's nothing short of economic vandalism. And,
look at all the smiling faces on this page. Would they be laughing if
someone did this to them?

David
is the Professor of Wildlife Conservation and the Director (and founder)
of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department at Oxford
University. He is also Chairman of the Darwin Advisory Committee, Defra
and Chairman of Earthwatch UK.

David
was awarded the 2004 Dawkins Prize for contributions to wildlife
conservation. In 2006 he was awarded the Merriam Medal for outstanding
contributions to mammalian research by the American Society of
Mammalogists and in 2007 he was awarded the equivalent medal of
Britain’s Mammal Society and in 2010 the Zoological Society of
London’s Silver Medal. In 2008, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal
Society of Edinburgh. In 2010 he was appointed Commander of the British
Empire for services to Natural Science.

He
is also Senior Research Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, a Board Member of
the World Wildlife Fund.

David
was a Council Member for English Nature from 2003-2006, before taking up
the appointment of Board Member for Natural England.

Nigel
is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and is a
Chartered Global Management Accountant and has held a number of senior
financial positions, including as Director of Finance for the National
Rivers Authority and the Environment Agency. He has been a member of HM
Treasury’s Financial Reporting and Advisory Board and a member of the
Prince of Wales’ Accounting for Sustainability Advisory Group.

He
served as a member of the board of trustees of the international
development charity WaterAid from 1999 until 2011 and is a consultant for
them (occasional).

He
is currently a board member for both the Marine Management Organisation
and Natural Resources Wales and also chairs their Audit & Risk
Committees.

Mr
Andy Wilson

Appointed:
1 January 2009 - Until: 31 December 2014

Responsibilities
include: Member of Audit and Risk Committee from 1 October 2011; and
climate change mitigation (renewable forms of energy).

Andy
Wilson has been Chief Executive of the North York Moors National Park
Authority since March 2000 during which time the Authority has won a
series of awards for customer service, training and work on climate
change. Prior to that, he worked for seven years at the Northumberland
National Park. Earlier in his career he worked for the Council for the
Protection of Rural England (CPRE) and the Royal Society for the
Protection of Birds (RSPB), where he produced a series of influential
reports on farming and the environment. He has numerous relations who farm
in the Yorkshire Dales

Andy
is a member of the RSPB, and was a member of the Yorkshire and Humber
Assembly Sustainable Development Board until April 2009.

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